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SATURDAY AM: Refresh for updates Illumination/Universal’s Super Mario Bros Movie just refuses to stop mushrooming. We saw yesterday that it was going to be the best second weekend for Illumination, and it still is at $80M, however, it could become the second best weekend ever for an animated movie after Frozen II‘s $85.9M. Currently, Incredibles II is the second best second weekend for a feature toon at $80.3M.

With fresh genre counterprogramming in the mix in Universal’s Renfield and Sony/Screen Gems’ The Pope’s Exorcist as well as three other titles, the total domestic box office market is looking at a weekend of $133.3M, +20% over the same second weekend in April during pre-pandemic 2019. Behold, normalcy, finally at the box office — and it’s not even summer. This weekend is also 24% ahead of the same weekend a year ago, which was Easter led by Warner Bros.’ Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore.

Pope’s Exorcist is edging out Renfield, $8.65M to $7.55M, and respectively in slots two and three. It use to be that horror movies were spaced apart on the release calendar, ideally three months apart, but that wasn’t possible for studios to do as the pandemic post-production logjam loosened and a slew of high-profile films finally hit the schedule. Universal’s release of Renfield promptly in the wake of Super Mario Bros stems from that pic being strictly tailored for a specific audience, in this case those over 25 (77%). Sony then dated on top of Renfield. Despite one film being an R-rated horror comedy and the other straight-up R-rated horror title, is there a cannibalization of audience going on. Uh, yeah: Both titles’ leading demos are Men over 25 (Renfield 43%, Pope at 40%) and women over 25 (Renfield at 33%, Pope at 29%). The Nicolas Cage movie Renfield is the more expensive of the two at $65M before P&A, while Pope was priced at $18M. Pope is clearly bound to be the more profitable of the two, however, Universal in their 17-day threatrical window spilling to PVOD spilling to Peacock/Prime Video pay one windows has been able to pull some rabbits out of their hat when it comes to getting movies in the black. Post pandemic, when an animated movie like Super Mario Bros hits PVOD and remains in theaters (in this case given its $50M+ opening last weekend, the title will have a 31-day window to PVOD), neither eats into the other with the studio reaping big bucks. Just look at Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.

Both movies Pope and Renfield have similar exits respectively at 86% positive and 79% positive on Screen Engine/Comscore’s PostTrak. Both had solid turnouts by Latino and Hispanic moviegoers, however, the demo was the leading one for Pope at 39% to Renfield‘s 27%. Other diversity demos for Pope were 33% Caucasian, 9% Black and 19% Asian/other while Renfield saw 45% Caucasian, 11% Black, and 17% Asian/other.  Pope played the best in the South Central and West where all top ten theatres were either in California or Texas. The Cinemark Downey was the top-grossing theater with close to $9k. Renfield played evenly across the U.S. with AMC Burbank earning the top gross at $15K; there was also solid play among the Alamos.

Amazon/Artists Equity/Mandalay/Skydance Sports’ second weekend of Air is looking to land in 5th place at 3,507 theaters after a second Friday of $2.1M, -57%, and 3-day of $7.3M, -49%, for a running total of $32.8M. By comparison to the first 12 days of Ticket to Paradise, another feel-good adult hit from the fall, Air is pacing 9% behind that film’s running total at that point in time. Ticket to Paradise finaled at $68.2M domestic. John Wick: Chapter 4 is also over around $7.3M in its fourth weekend either in fourth or fifth place. $159.4M for the Keanu Reeves Lionsgate movie by Sunday.

Sony’s release of Crunchyroll’s Suzume looks to land in 7th with $2.1M on Friday, and $5M at 2,170 theaters. Anime fans, those not en masse, did like it at 89% on PostTrak and a 72% recommend with the audience make-up being 60% guys, 40% women, and 40% between 18-34 and 25-34 showing up at 42%. Diversity demos were 31% Caucasian, 25% Latino and Hispanic, 8% Black and 36% Asian/other. Strong grosses in the East and West, juiced by Imax and PLF with five of the top ten theaters coming from California.

Bleecker Street’s Mafia Mamma at 2,002 which stars Toni Collette as an American mother who inherits her grandfather’s mafia empire in Italy and defies expectations with the guidance of the firm’s consigliere, is in 8th with an estimated $2.3M. Grosses weren’t strong, nor were exits at 64% on PostTrak with a 44% recommend. Those few who bought tickets were women at 68%, with the 55+ crowd showing up at 25%, 25-44 at 43%. Diversity demos were 54% Caucasian, 31% Latino and Hispanic, 6% Black, & 9% Asian/Other. 

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FRIDAY AFTERNOON: Illumination is looking at another record 3-day as the Universal/Nintendo co-production Super Mario Bros Movie is on its way to a $72M Friday-Sunday, the best second weekend for the animation studio. That’s a 51% ease at 4,371 theaters after a $20M second Friday, -64%. Running total by end of Sunday will be $332.8M.

Previous best second weekend for Illumination belonged to Minions which did $49.2M, -57%.

Second place looks like it’s going to Amazon/Artists Equity/Skydance Sports/Mandalay’s Air which is eyeing a second Friday of $2.4M, -52% — a great hold off the holiday weekend, and 3-day of $8M+, -44%, and running total of $33.5M at 3,507 locations.

Third is currently a dead heat between Universal’s Renfield and Screen Gems’ Pope’s Exorcist, both north of $3M for Friday and just under $8M.

Fifth goes to the fourth weekend of Lionsgate’s John Wick: Chapter 4 at 3,033 theaters with a $2M Friday, -58%, and 3-day of $7M, -52%, with running cume by Sunday of $159.1M.

FRIDAY AM: Five wide releases hit theaters this weekend, but Illumination and Universal’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie will reign supreme with a second weekend, -60% at $58M. The plumbers already have plunged a running stateside total through nine days of $260M, with $300M+ in sight this weekend.

Super Mario Bros grossed $9.4M Thursday at 4,343 locations, -13% from Wednesday’s $10.7M. (Watch the trailer here.)

Two genre films aimed at dudes over 25 are battling it out, one funnier than the other, in the faceoff between Universal’s Nicolas Cage vampire comedy Renfield and Sony/Screen Gems’ The Pope’s Exorcist, starring Russell Crowe.

Renfield did $900K in previews Thursday night to Pope’s Exorcist‘s $850K. Both were projecting $8M-$10M, but Renfield looks to be at the top of that range. At 62% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes with critics (82% with moviegoers), the pic is booked at 3,300 theaters, while Pope’s Exorcist is at 3,100 sites, saddled at 48% Rotten (but 86% with audiences).

RELATED: ‘Renfield’ Review: Nicholas Hoult Emerges From Shadow Of Nicolas Cage’s Needy Dracula In Amusing If Bloody New Take On Classic

Renfield follows Dracula’s loyal servant, with Nicholas Hoult in the title role. He’s forced to procure his master Dracula’s (Cage) prey and do his every bidding, no matter how debased. But now, after centuries of servitude, Renfield is ready to see if there’s a life outside the shadow of The Prince of Darkness. If only he can figure out how to end his co-dependency. The film clearly is aimed at those who loved the 1980s cult monster comedy Transylvania 6-5000. Chris McKay directs. (Watch the trailer here.)

Julius Avery directs Crowe as Gabriele Amorth, the Vatican’s leading exorcist, in Pope’s Exorcist, as he investigates the possession of a child and uncovers a conspiracy the Vatican has tried to keep secret.

RELATED: ‘The Pope’s Exorcist’ Review: A Terrific Russell Crowe Battles Demons In Movie Possessed By The Memory Of A Certain 50-Year-Old Horror Classic

Sony is handling Crunchyroll’s Makoto Shinkai movie Suzume, booked at 2,150 theaters, plus Imax and PLF theaters. Thursday night at 2,650 sites, the whimsical original anime feature made $680K at 1,925 theaters (starting at 4 p.m.), for what will be a $5M opening weekend.

Bleecker Street has the Toni Collette-Monica Bellucci comedy Mafia Mamma at 2,002 theaters with an eye at a 3-day in the single digits.

RELATED: ‘Mafia Mamma’ Review: Toni Collette Becomes The Reluctant Godmother In Mild Italian Mob Comedy

Briarcliff Entertainment has Sweetwater in 1,204 theaters.  The pic, directed by Martin Guigui, stars Richard Dreyfuss, Eric Roberts, Cary Elwes and Everett Osborne and follows the story of Hall of Famer, Nat ‘Sweetwater’ Clifton, who made history as the first African American to sign an NBA contract, forever changing how the game of basketball is played.